The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-13
DEAD In A DOORWAY.
THEBE ELLISON FALLS WITH A
BULLET IN HIS BOWELS.

Fatal Ending to a Spree.
A fatal shooting affray occurred in a
boarding house kept by Miss Susie Davis,
at No Z William street, at 1920 O'Clock
last night. The occupants of the house were
in their rooms, and most of them in bed,
when they were startled by noise at the
front door. The sound Of voices was heard
and presently the door was forced in and
with a yell two men enteTed the
hall. They made their way back to the
room of DR.. Kennedy, which was the back
room on the left hand side Of the hall En-
tering the room they began abusing the
doctor, and to avoid them he left and went
to the room in front, which was occupied
by w. B. Hicks and w. H. Matthews. The
two men, who proved to be Thebe Ellison
and w Elliot, followed him out and picked
up two bed-slats, which were found in the
hall They cursed loudly, and were evil
IDENTIFY drunk They called aloud that they
had come in to clean out the
house" and they dared any one to
show his face. They had been raising
a disturbance in the house for fifteen or
twenty minutes, and the occupants were all
awake and wondering what was going on,
none of them leaving their rooms to find out.
IN UTTER DARKNESS.
Miss Susie Davis dressed in the meantime,
and went out into the hall to try and quiet
the men. She appealed to them not TO make
such noise, as they disturbed every one,
but to go out and not to create disturb
ance in her house. They paid no heed to
her. but, on the contrary grew more noisy
than ever. An oil lamp was sitting on the
table, and they struck it with the Stats
they held and knocked it to the
floor. The light went out and
the hall was left in utter darkness
When the men in the adjoining rooms
heard the fall of the lamp they
opened their doors and called to the
men to go out of the house at once, but the
only effect of their commands was to make
the disturbers strike at them with the Stats
Miss Davis voice could be heard in the dark
pleading with Ellison and Elliot to go out,
but they replied with oaths and swore they
would not leave until they had ''done up"
every man in the place. They knocked at
the doors with their sticks and tried to force
the doors in, but in that they did not sue
coed.
THE FATAL SHOT.
S. NJ. Pritchard was in the front room on
the right hand side of the hail. and when he
heard the lamp break he knew that Miss
Davis was in the hall with the two men in
the darkness, 50 he sprang out of bed and
put on his trousers and coat. He turned up
his lamp, which was burning dimly, opened
his door and went into the hall He placed
the lamp on the table and started back into
his room, when Ellison and Elliot got be-
tween him and his door and began beating
him with the Stats. He threw up his arms to
ward off the blows and, received several Sc
we're ticks. One of the men cried: "Hit the
Elliot said, Hold on. I'll fix him." and
threw his hand back to his pistol pocket.
Pritchard then drew his revolver and fired
Both men started toward the door Elliot
ran out and down the stairs from the stoop
but Ellison fell in the hallway, his head
lying out on the stoop. He gasped for
breath for few minutes and then died.
Pritchard then returned to his room and
dressed himself, and when Officer Maher
ran down from South Broad street Pritch-
ard gave himself up and informed the
officer that he was the one who had done
the shooting. He was taken to the bar
racks by Officer Maher, who also ca ptured
Elliot and locked MIN up.
SPOT OF BLOOD
The policeman lifted the body Of Ellison
out Of the hall onto the stoop, and there it
lay CHASTITY sight to meet the gaze when
one mounted the stairway Ellison lay ON
la hail off 1ar,f cal 81.
his head thrown back, his eyes staring, and
his mouth wide open. There was no sign of
blood, and for some time it was not known
where he had been shot, but when his coat
was thrown back, a spot of blood about as
large as the palm of ones hand was found
on the left side of the body. just below the
ribs. About two inches from it was a little
round hole that showed where the bullet had
gone in, but besides that and the little circle
of blood on the brown worsted
shirt, there was no sign of
the deadly work He bled internally, and
il is probable that an artery was cut, for he
died in but very few minutes after he
was shot. The house was IN a stir all last
night, and the occupants did not try again
to sleep. They sat around the hallway tell
ing over and over again what they knew of
the affair, and hung around the body until
it was removed, lighting matches now and
then to gaze at the face of the dead man.
PRITCHARD's STORY.
s. NJ. Pritchard was seen in the barracks
and he made a full and clear statement of
the whole affair, telling his story in a
straightforward manner that carried con-
viction with it. He said: II work on the
Savannah, Dublin and Western railroad
and ! came to the city only night before
last and stopped at Miss Davis boarding
house. | was in bed in my room when the
two men entered the house. | walked up
and heard the noise going on, but did not
go out of my room, because / thought
the best thing to do was to keep
out Of their way. They struck
the lamp and broke it, and thought it was
my duty to take light out there because
Miss Susie was there with no one TO protect
her pulled on my pants. and coat and
turned up my lamp l went into the hall
and set the lamp down on the table, The
men got between me and my door and when
! tried to go back into my room they began
baafiner mo with sticlre I tbro,,, 49,, -.